Natural Neti Pot

Many years ago, my mother swore by a Neti pot. A neti pot is an old fashioned way of cleaning sinuses. My mother had one that was plastic, but the original Neti pots were clay I believe. When I did some investigations online, I found this definition on a Group Health Initiative Blog:  "Of eastern origin, the neti pot was originally introduced to the western world about 30 years ago. Rooted in hatha yoga practices, usage of the neti pot is considered a yogic body cleansing technique. However, originally neti (sutra neti, to be exact) employed the use of waxed cotton thread to 'floss' the nasal passages." Basically, you fill the Neti pot with a saline solution and then pour the solution in one nasal passage and it exits through the other, fully cleansing the sinuses. What in the world does this have to do with surfing you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. Today, at least three times, I received a Neti cleansing without the use of the pot when I pearled during my surf session.

I didn't surf Friday because my reports indicated that the water was just too rough for surfing. Waves were small and messy, and certainly not worth a drive down after work. I was really wanting to surf too! It seems that I had been reading about pretty waves earlier in the week and, frankly, I was dying to get down to G-town and play. I contemplated going down on Saturday after my bike ride, but weather forecasts were "iffy." As it turns out, waves were pretty clean early in the morning, but by Saturday afternoon, were a mess again. Rain came in spurts. However, the showers were light and didn't include lightening, so many people went out to surf. Forecasts suggested that the wind would die down a little by Sunday, and they did.

This morning, I loaded up Roxanne and headed down. I made it to the island about 8:20 a.m., and into the water by 8:45. It wasn't as windy as the Saturday, but the waves were still very choppy and the current was strong. I paddled out in the rip current near the 43rd St. jetty, but it didn't take long before I was pulled down the beach. In a way, I was glad I had the help of the current since the waves I wanted to surf were midway between the 41st and 43rd St. jetties. (Since I'm a goofy-footer, I tend to take waves left, which takes me to the jetty. So, I like to start a little to the side of the jetty, so I can surf the wave as far as I can before hitting the jetty. Apparently, many goofy-footers like me tend to sit to the right of most surfers.) I struggled at first, but eventually caught a nice wave and rode it a long way in. The waves were very inconsistent and hard to read. I pearled a few times and had several "Neti" falls where the water "cleansed" my sinuses.  I popped up from under the water coughing, but I eventually cleared my sinuses and realized the salt water had actually helped me breathe easier. Ha! I hate that I pearled, but, sometimes, I need to be reminded how much I still have to learn. I had some good rides and turned consistently. I even managed to walk on the board to make sure that I got the most out of the wave. Several people on short boards were tearing it up in the waves, and they made it look so easy. I saw others pearl and miss waves and can only guess that the irregularity of the waves made them hard for everyone to read.

This week, a hurricane (Hurricane Isaac) is forecasted to hit somewhere along the upper Gulf Coast. Surfers are chatting about this on the Internet since the storm will cause unseasonable North winds in Galveston and make the waves a little bigger and the sets cleaner on Monday, Tuesday and, possibly, Wednesday. I think I will be paying a visit to the island this week after work!  Hmmm...I'm a little anxious and excited about this.